Advertising display device with intermittently rotated neon signs



Oct. 17, 1950 J. STADTMILLER ADVERTISING DISPLAY DEVICE WITH INTERMITTENTLY ROTATED NEON SIGNS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 15, 1947 m A I w y m \%N m. w W mW A Q Q QV W Y Q A N N M.\ A

JOHN JZ' DTM/ZLEE M KW Oct. 17, 1950 J. STADTMILLER 2,526,514

ADVERTISING DISPLAY DEVICE WITH INTERMITTENTLY ROTATED NEON SIGNS Filed Feb. 15, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. JOHN JYADTMfLLE/P Oct. 17, 1950 J. STADTMILLER 2,526,514

ADVERTISING DISPLAY DEVICE WITH INTERMITTENTLY ROTATED NEON SIGNS A 7' TOKIVE X Patented Oct. 17, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ADVERTISING DISPLAY DEVICE WITH INTERMITTENTLY ROTATED NEON SIGNS -2 Claims.

are arrested in juxtaposition to the display panel.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of an advertising display device of the indicated character in which'neon signs form the advertising legends and which are intermittently illuminated by switch means for making and breaking a series of current supply.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, reference is now made to the following specification and accompanying drawings in which the preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of an advertising display device constructed in accordance with the invention and illustrating the same with the front panel partly broken away so as to show the operating parts.

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken approximately on line 2--2 of Fig. 1..-

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the arrangement at one end of the sign for producing intermittent rotation of the driven shaft.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken approximately on 1ine i4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view witth parts broken away and showing the brush and contact means for successively illuminating the advertising legends.

Fig. 6 is an end view of switch means for closing the circuit with the neon signs.

Fig. '7 is a view in front elevation of an advertising display device illustrating a modified form of the invention.

Fig. 8 is a horizontal sectional. view of an advertising display device illustrating another modified form of the invention.

Fig. 9 is a view of the wiring diagram of the advertising display device.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, the device includes an elongated housing it of rectangular formation in cross-sectional configuration having a front wall i! formed with a longitudinally extending rectangular opening l2 which is provided with display panel l3 of glass or other transparent material secured to said wall in covering relation with said opening.

Located within the housing ill adjacent the opposite ends thereof are spaced standards 54 and I4 secured upon the bottom wall is thereof and provided with aligned bearings and I! in which are mounted the opposite ends of a driven shaft l8. A longitudinally extending member 19 is secured upon the shaft for rotation therewith in juxtaposition to the display panel 13. The member :9 is formed with a plurality of circumferentially spaced arcuate recesses 20 in the periphery. thereof in which are arranged neon sings 25 to 2 inclusive constituting advertising legends.

The shaft I8 is intermittently rotated for successively presenting the advertising. legends to 24 inclusive in juxtaposition to display panel l3 through which the legen are visible. The shaft [8 is intermittently ro ed oymeans of an intermittent motion transmitting device 25 arranged on said shaft and on a drive shaft 26 protruding from a reduction. gear box 2? and connected with the driving shaft of an electric motor 28. The gear box 2l' and the electric motor 28 are mounted upon a bracket 28 secured at its opposite ends to the standard M and end wall 30 of the housing If} so as to dispose the drive shaft 26 in parallel overlapping relation with the driven shaft 53. The intermittent motion transmitting device 25 consists of interengagable radially slotted and flanged disk members 3! and 32 which are respectively mounted on theshafts l8 and 26. I

The flanged disk member 32 is formed with an arcuate flange or rim 3-3 which projects in wardly from the inner face thereof and is disposed in inwardly spaced relation from the periphery thereof. The said flange or rim subtends an arc of approximately 270 degrees and has its ends spaced apart by an arc of approximately ninety degrees. Projecting inwardly from the inner face of said flanged disk member 32 is a pin 34 which is located adjacent one end of the flange or rim 33 and in position to successively engage in radial slots 35 of said radially The radially slotted member 3| is formed with the radial slots 35 quadrantally spaced apart and opening through the periphery thereof and between the slots the said member is arcuately recessed so as to provide peripheral rim portions 36 which are arcuately curved corresponding to the curvature of the outer periphery of the flange or rim 33. The radially slotted and flanged disk members 3| and 32 are mounted on the shafts l8 and 26 between depending legs 31 and 33 of a yoke 39 secured to the inner end of an angle bracket 40 bolted at its outer end to the gear box 21. The shaft l8 protrudes through a bearing opening 4| in the depending leg 31 and secured thereon between said leg and the standard 14 is a sleeve 42 for preventing endwise movement of said shaft. The shaft 26 protrudes through aligned bearing openings 43 and 44 in the legs 3'! and 38 of said yoke respectively with the inner end of said shaft being provided with an enlarged head 45 for preventing endwise movement of said shaft so as to retain the flange or rim 33 and the pin 34 of the flanged disk member 32 in lateral alignment with the radially slotted member 3|.

In order to provide means for successively illuminating the neon signs 2| to 24 during the periods that the member I!) is at rest and the signs are respectively arranged adjacent to and parallel with the front panel l3, a pair of insulating posts 41 and 48 having flexible metallic brushes 49 protruding therethrough are mounted in the standard M with the brushes 49 disposed in the path of movement of pairs of contacts 50 and arranged in a head 52 of the member IS with the outer surfaces of said contacts disposed substantially fiush with the outer face of said head. A pair of the contacts 50 and 5| is provided for each neon sign 2| to 24 inclusive and the same are connected therewith by means of conductor wires 53 and 54 leading from the contacts 50 and 5| respectively to the opposite ends 55 and 55 of the signs. The brushes 49 are connected by conductor wires 51 and 58 leading from the terminals thereof to the secondary ter- 4,

minals 59 and 6|! of a transformer 6|. The primary terminals 62 and 63 of said transformer are connected by conductor wires 64 and 65 with lead wires 66 and 61 leading from the electric motor 28 to a terminal plug 68.

An electric switch 69 connected with the conductor wire 64 leading to the primary terminal 63 of the transformer is automatically operated for closing the primary circuit as the neon signs are respectively disposed in position adjacent the front panel I 3 and for automatically opening the circuit and maintaining the same in open relation during the periods of rotation of the member IS. The electric switch consists of a movable spring terminal 10 and a fixed terminal carried by an insulation block 12 mounted on the end of a stud 13 which is secured to the standard |4 so as to dispose the free end M of the spring terminal 10 in engagement with the periphery of a cam disk '15 mounted on the driven shaft l8 for rotation therewith. The cam disk 15 is disposed in spaced relation to the head '52 of the member l9 and the same is formed with quadrantally spaced recesses 16 in the periphery thereof which permit of the movement of the spring terminal 10 into engagement with the adjustable head 11 of the fixed terminal H to thereby close the circuit four times during each revolution of the shaft IE or as each neon sign is presented in juxtaposition to the d p panel I 3.

The intermittent motion transmitting device 25 is s arranged that during each rotation of the drive shaft 26 the driven shaft l8 and the drive shaft 26 simultaneously rotate one-quarter of a revolution and thereafter the driven shaft l8 remains idle until the drive shaft 26 has completed the remaining portion of the revolution. This is accomplished by the pin 34 rotating in a counter-clockwise direction with the drive shaft 26 engaging in the lowermost slot 35 of the radially slotted member 3| to turn the same through an arc of ninety degrees in a clockwise direction. The pin 34 is then rotated out of engagement with said slot 35 and during the remainder of the revolution of the flanged disk member 32 the flange or rim 33 retains the radially slotted member 3| against rotation. Constructed in this manner the neon signs 2| to 24 are successively disposed in juxtaposition to the display panel l3 and each remains stationary during three-quarters of a revolution of the drive shaft 26. As each neon sign is moved into position the primary circuit with the transformer 6| is automatically closed by the switch 69 and the brushes 49 are moved into engagement with the pair of contacts 50 and 5| which are connected with the sign so located in juxtaposition to the dispaly panel.

In this form of the invention the display device is adapted to be disposed in a horizontal position. If desired however, the device may be vertically arranged as illustrated in Fig. 7 of the drawings with a rotating member 19 similar to the member 9 but having a plurality of neon signs arranged vertically thereon and adapted to be intermittently presented and illuminated in juxtaposition to a front panel 80. As illustrated in Fig. 8, two rotating members 8| and 82 similar to the member I9 in the previous form of the invention may be vertically disposed within the housing 83 for successively presenting and illuminating neon signs in juxtaposition to a front panel 84. It will be understood that the means for intermittently rotating the member 19 and the members 8| and 82 in the form of the inventions illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 and for successively illuminating the signs carried by said members is in all respects similar to that shown in the previous form of the invention.

The drive shaft 26 is rotated at a constant rate of speed by the motor 28 while the reduction gearing 2'! functions to rotate the drive shaft 26 at the speed desired.

What is claimed is:

1. In an advertising display device, a housing having an opening constituting a display panel, a member mounted on a driven shaft for rotation within said housing, a plurality of neon signs secured on said member in circumferentially spaced relation, a drive shaft, interengaging means on said drive and driven shafts for rotating said shafts in unison during a partial rotation thereof and for maintaining the said driven shaft against rotation during the remainder of each rotation of the drive shaft, electric means for continuously rotating said drive shaft at a constant rate of speed, an electric circuit, a head afiixed to said driven shaft and located at one end of said member, a pair of contacts for each sign carried by said head in protruding re lation through a side face thereof and connected with the opposite ends of said signs respectively, a pair of brushes arranged in said circuit and having their ends disposed in the path of movement of said contacts for successively engaging the pairs thereof, a disk mounted for rotation on said drive shaft having circumferentially spaced cam recesses in the periphery thereof, an electric switch in said circuit and having a fixed terminal and a movable spring terminal tensioned against the periphery of said disk for successively engaging said cam recesses so as to permit of the movement of said spring terminal into closing relation with the fixed terminal for successively illuminating the signs as the same are presented adjacent said display panel during the periods that the driven shaft is at rest.

2. In an advertising display device, a housing having an opening constituting a display panel, a member mounted on a driven shaft for rotation within said housing, a plurality of neon signs secured on said member in circumferentially spaced relation, a drive shaft, interengaging means on said drive and driven shafts for rotating said shafts in unison during a partial rotation thereof and for maintaining the said driven shaft against rotation during the remainder of each rotation of the drive shaft, electric means for continuously rotating said drive shaft at a constant rate of speed, an electric circuit, a head affixed to said driven shaft and located at one end of said member, a pair of contacts for each Sign carried by said head in protruding relation through a side face thereof and connected with the opposite ends of said signs respectively, a pair of brushes arranged in said circuit and having their ends disposed in the path of movement of said contacts for successively engaging the pairs thereof, a disk mounted for rotation on said drive shaft having circumferentially spaced cam recesses in the periphery thereof, an electric switch having fixed and movable terminals connected in said circuit and arranged With the movable terminal tensioned against the periphery of said disk for successively engaging said cam recesses to thereby close the circuit for successively illuminating the signs as the same are presented adjacent said display panel during the periods that the driven shaft is at rest and for maintaining the circuit open during the periods that the signs are in rotation with the said driven shaft.

JOHN STADTMILLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 861,798 Bohannon July 30, 1,803,597 Craig May 5, 1931 1,913,504 Nachumsohn June 13, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 74,522 Germany Apr. 19, 1894 

